Battle Song: A novel by Ian Ross

 

I have just finished reading Battle Song by Ian Ross, an histoirical fiction published by Hodder & Stoughton in 2013. I tend not to make time for reading but whilst home for a spell of leave I decided to immerse myself in this narrative which I must have bought about two years back.

Including historical afterword, the hard back edition runs to 404 pages and tells the tale of Adam de Norton, a squire on the tournament circuit with his master Rober de Dunstanville who both become followers and soldiers in the service of Simon de Montfort. The story culminates at the battle of Lewes.

It looks like it's the first in a trilogy, followed by War Cry and the King's Enemy.

I really enjoyed this piece of escapism and of course, it's right in my field of interst. I do highly recommend it to anyone who likes fiction and this period. Like so many books of it's kind it could do with a movie treatment but then whoever takes it up wouild most likely make a pig's ear of it.

Two fun facts (take-aways) from this manuscript: the authors much used and favourite adjective is 'spattered' and at one point he has a character use the word 'hurricane'. I would have preferred the use of 'tempest' myself as the etymology of hurricane is 16th century Spanish of Caribbean origin - it struck me as odd when I read it so I consulted my Oxford Concise Dictionary of English Etymology. Well, no-one said writing historical fiction is easy.